MV Barima tragedy

President Dr Irfaan Ali has reassured that the MV Barima, the passenger and cargo ferry that sank off the coast of Guyana and claimed the lives of about 100 persons, would be salvaged.
“We’re not hiding from salvaging. There is a process, and that process is ongoing,” the Head of State declared on Thursday evening while addressing members of the diaspora during a meeting held at Jericho Palace Banquet Hall in Queens Village, New York.
Three companies have submitted bids in response to the Government’s invitation for proposals to salvage the sunken vessel, according to the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) in documents released earlier this month.
Among the bidders is Industrial Fabrication Inc., also known as InFab, which was founded in 2003 by Jerry Max Goueia and Dyland Fields, according to its website. The Guyanese company proposes to salvage the ferry at a cost of $1,895,000,000.
BK International Inc, which was founded by Guyanese businessman Brian Tiwarie, has submitted a proposal to salvage the ferry at a cost of $1,034,000,000. The local company operates across several sectors, including sea defence, civil and commercial construction, marine transportation, and aviation.
The third bidder is KMS BV, a registered commercial shipowner and manager based in Vijfhuizen, Netherlands, which is proposing to salvage the MV Barima for $2,035,100,000.
According to President Ali, these proposals are currently being reviewed as he underscored the importance of going through a public process to select a company that can salvage the sunken ferry.
“If the President had picked the company, they would say he picked his friend. We went through a public process. We have the bids that were received in that process. The technical people are evaluating those bids so that the company can be selected to do the salvaging. That is the reality,” he asserted.

Tragedy
On July 18, the MV Barima capsized and sank off the Essequibo Coast while en route to Port Kaituma, Region One (Barima-Waini), after leaving Port Georgetown with 179 persons on board. While 76 survived the horrific boat accident, 73 have been confirmed dead, and another 30 remain unaccounted for.
Family members of those missing persons, as well as others, have called for the vessel to be salvaged.
In the tender advertisement published by the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) in August, it was explained that the MV Barima is a passenger and cargo ferry of approximately 38.6 metres (m) in length overall, 8.9m in beam, and 2.9m in depth; registered in Georgetown, Guyana, and fitted with twin Caterpillar C18 diesel main engines and Caterpillar diesel generator sets.
According to the Department, the vessel is presently lying as a wreck in approximate positions: Latitude 07° 28′.213 North, Longitude 058° 23′.443 West, in water depths of about 13-15 metres (42-49 feet).
“Visibility at the wreck site is poor, and strong currents and tidal streams may be encountered at times, necessitating suitably robust procedures and equipment for safe operations. The Contractor must propose methods and sequences for all stages of the operation,” the ad detailed.
MARAD has stated that proposals must include a description of the proposed technical approach for the MV Barima salvage, with emphasis on the measures to protect and document forensic evidence for use by the Commission of Inquiry set up to probe the tragedy. Additionally, companies were asked to specify environmental protection measures.

Work of CoI
Describing it as one of the “greatest tragedies” Guyana has faced, the Guyanese leader went on to reiterate his administration’s commitment to thoroughly probe the July 18 MV Barima incident.
“We’ve made it very clear; there is nothing to hide. We’ve appointed one of the most accredited Commissions of Inquiry you can find. The Commission of Inquiry [COI] has started its work. We’re not hiding from the investigation. The CoI is doing its work right now. I’m not going to interfere with the work of the CoI, and we are not going to shy away from any questions,” the President assured the diaspora community.
The five-member CoI was appointed on July 30 to examine, among other things, the circumstances surrounding the sinking, regulatory oversight, and the emergency response.
Justice Godfrey Phillip Smith of Belize will chair the proceedings, along with Captain Hamada Fouda of Jamaica, Trinidadian Attorney-at-Law Nyree Dawn Alfonso, Dr Andrzej Jasionowski of Poland, and Rear Admiral (Retired) Hayden Pritchard from Trinidad and Tobago.
Providing an update on their work since being appointed, the Commission said in a September 2 statement that they have made a preliminary in-person survey of the accident site, identified the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) to hold public hearings, and established a Secretariat for administrative, research, and logistical support.
Additionally, the Commission said it is also acquiring data and information from several public institutions, as well as drafting the Rules of Procedure to govern how it will approach its work.
Moreover, work is also ongoing to compile a list of potential witnesses and prepare a preliminary schedule for interviewing them, while a dedicated public website for the CoI is being established to promote transparency and accessibility. The Commission stated it was working assiduously to commence public hearings later this month, but no further update has been provided on this to date.